Holy Week: Monday

March 30, 2026

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.” John 12:1-11

“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” Judas asks this question, not because he cares about the poor, but because he saw an opportunity to enrich himself literally being poured out in front of him. While his motives were far from pure, his question is not necessarily invalid if asked in the right way. Whatever resources we have been given, we are meant to steward them carefully. 

In every church I have been part of, the question of spending money seems always to raise this question. The issue is, there is always something else on which the money could be spent. Because we have limited resources, spending money on one thing means not spending it on another, and it seems everyone has an opinion on how money should be spent. I think we should spend more on project A; you think it should be project B; and another person thinks it should be project C. And the truth is, these might all be important projects.

Regardless of Judas’s intention, caring for the poor is important. The needs were prevalent then, just as they are now. There are always good things we could be doing, but the real question is not whether we are doing good things. The real question is are we doing what Jesus is leading us to do. We might remember that early in Jesus’s ministry, He had been healing many people. Early one morning, Jesus went off to pray by Himself. His disciples came looking for Him, and when they found Him, they told Him the crowds were waiting on Him. He could have stayed there and healed every person, but His ministry went far beyond healing physical ailments. As good as doing such things would be, that was not His purpose.

It seems unlikely that Mary understood this when she bought the expensive perfume, but its purpose had already been determined. It wasn’t to make her smell nice. It wasn’t to be sold. It was for Jesus, and, when the time came, she used it just as it was intended: to anoint Jesus.

Even as Jesus was preparing (and being prepared) for the cross, He was still teaching. Many things in this life can distract us from being devoted to Jesus. Lots of things clamor for our attention, and that includes good things. One of the traps we can fall into, though, is allowing good things to distract us from God things. Mary understood this, and, rather than being distracted, she remained focused on what mattered most: Jesus.

In this final week, Jesus could have been doing so many things, but He remained focused on what He came to do, so, when Mary began anointing Him, he quieted all complaints. Her focus was where it needed to be.

As we follow Jesus toward the cross, it is worth asking: Are we distracted, or are we focused on what matters most?

Grace and peace,
Brandon